Was curious what everyone liked to read. My favorite type of books are mysteries and some fantasy.

Favorite books or authors are

1 - The Cat Who... series by Lilian Jackson Braun

2- Midnight Louie series
3- Irene Adler series both by Carole Nelson Douglas

4- Mrs Murphy series by Rita Mae Brown

5- Lord of the Rings triology

6- Harry Potter series

7- Mary Higgins Clark

8- Dan Brown

9- Amelia Peabody (Egyptian) series by Elizabeth Peters

10 - Catherine Coulter

11- Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta series

12- Sue Grafton's Kinsey Milhone alphebet series

13 - Thomas Kinkade's Cape Light series

14 - Richard Adams - Watership Down and Plague Dogs

15-William Horwood - Duncton Wood (sort of a mole version of Watership Down)

Read between 50 - 100 books a year. I know I've missed some series that I read. Anyone else read any of this books/authors? Or have some good to suggest.

1. Sevenwaters Trilogy by Juliett Marilliers
2. His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman (love this love this)
3. Sabriel, Lirael, and Abhorsen by Garth Nix
4. Witchchild by Celia Rees
5. Pendragon Series by D. J. MacHale
6. Any books by Sarah Dessen
7. Kushiel Legacy by Jacqueline Carey
8. Archangel by Sharon Shinn (and all the others in the series)
9. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
10. Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith
11. Armageddon Summer by Jane Yolen and someone else

Just finished Anne Rice. The Vampire Chronicles, The Mayfair Witches, and New Vampires. Read a few others like Ramses and Servent of the Bones. Also, read LOTR of course, but that was before the movies. Harry Potter at least 3 times. I'm thinking of reading the Dark Tower Series or the James Bond Collection.

Had forgotten all about Anne Rice - have read the first 3 in the Vampire Chronicles. Decided I was going to wait until she ended the series and then start them again from the begining. I guess I can finish that series now.
Have read some others of hers - The Witching Hour, Lasher and Taltos. The Mummy and The Feast of All Saints. Had started the Dark Tower series when I think the first 3 of the books were out - it has been sooo long I remember only bits of them.

Meg Cabot and Lousie Rennison are two of my very favorite authors

I love anything by Marion Zimmer Bradley, Mists of Avalon is my favorite.

She is the only one I can think of by name...I will read just about any genre once to see if I like it. I am at the local used bookstore, Chamblin's, every single weekend :)

Anything by Ted Dekker

And Stephen King

ADA - read Mists of Avalon many years ago, really enjoyed it. *Am I remembering correctly that they did a movie or mini series of it - would have been awhile back. *Either it's my imagination or I saw it.

Tolkien is clearly my favourite author, and he has been since I was eight.

[shameless promotion]A close second is the fabulous Rosemary Sutcliff, who writes historical fiction about Britain. She was an archaeologist, so definitely knew what she was writing about. She won Britain's highest award for writing for her Roman Trilogy starting with the Eagle of the Ninth, but sadly has fallen into obscurity. Go on, try one of her books. You won't regret it. :) [/shameless promotion]

Also:
The Truth
The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents
Going Postal
The Wee Free Men
and everything else by Terry Pratchett <3
His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper
Ray Bradbury
Douglas Adams (HHG in two months! w00t!)
The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay (I know it sounds all inspirational and corny, but it's hilarious and fabulous. Really.)
Shakespeare (No laughing!)

Can't think of anything else at the moment, though I'm sure there are more.

Mists of Avalon! *cracks up* In the book, did this happen too....Morwen sleep with Arthur, Lancelot Guinevere and Arthur have a 3some and Morwen become pregnant with Arthurs child? If so, what a weird book!

A great book-THE RED AND TEH BLACK by Stendhal...post Napoleonic France...excellent book!

my favorite book of all time would have to be the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, then followed by "The Return" by William Shatner (yes, it's a Star Trek book, but it makes for a great read!). i've fallen WAY behind on my reading, but right now i'm in the middle of "Master and Commander". it's quite good, but some of the naval terminology is enough to drive me batty!

the absolute WORST book i've ever read would be "Fathers and Sons". i can't remember who wrote it, but it was by a Russian author, and it was just absolutley dreadful. i read it (by choice) for a book report when i was a sophmore. the book is just so depressing, i felt miserable by just reading it. when i gave my report, i told the whole class just how horrible the book was and that i recommend it to NO ONE. my teacher gave me an A-, and she wrote on my paper that she felt really bad that i had a horrible time reading it. i love that teacher!! and this is going to sound awful coming from a Nebraskan, but i can't stand Willa Cather. i've read some of her books, but i just don't like them.

Leesha-

I've read Master and Commander, and I totally understand! As someone who has been sailing quite literally all her life, I know it's frustrating. My advice is: find a good diagram. I don't know how well you know ships, but some terms can be hard to understand without a visual. b) try patrickobrian.net or find a book related to MaC. They often have glossaries with really simple definitions of the words you need to know, like stuns'ls. (That one drove me absolutely batty. could *not* figure out what a stuns'l w as for the longest time. ::) ) good luck!

:)

hurrah! you're the only person other than my dad that i"ve met who says "drives me batty" ;D

thanks White Lady!! i shall do that!

hehe, i got the "batty" thing from my mom. for some odd reason, she knows a lot of old sayings!

Stephen King
* *-The Dark Tower Series
* *-The Stand
*
Actually, anything by Stephen King I seem to enjoy.* But those 2 are my personal favorites.

1984
A Color Purple
The Nazi Seizure of Power
April Morning
Black Like Me
Count of Monte Cristo

Just to name a few

I love to read the Fearless series...its alot like Alias the show but in written form

I love all of Nichlas Sparks books. They are wonderful!* I espcially loved The Wedding.* It is a follow up to The Notebook.

I'm reading right now The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus.* It's pretty enjoyable.* I was a nanny for a couple of years so some of the stuff in there I can relate to.*

I just finished reading one of Nora Roberts books called Remember When.* It was really good.

Can anyone suggest any good biographies?*

Bearlover I really like your list of books, some of them on there I just love.

The Cat Who are great...haven't read them in awhile though I shall have to catch up and reread. Lord of the Rings of course is just a brilliant trilogy. Watership Down is so excellent as well and of course Harry Potter.

Some of my favs, including childhood ones a little:

The A Dream of Eagle series/The Camulod Chronicles by Jack Whyte - Probably my favourite books. I absolutely love how these are written. They focus around the Arthur legend but are such a different retelling that it doesn't seem like you're reading same old same old. Simply brilliant characters.

The Talented Mr. Ripley (and sequels) - Geeze did the movie ever ruin this book! They took away the whole point of it but the book itself is amazing I think.

The Chronicles of Prydain - Loved this fantasy series when I was younger and I still like them.

Dealing with Dragons (and sequels) - such a great series of stories although I prefer the first two and think the other twp went downhill a little.

The Mists of Avalon - love this one. Yup there is a miniseries, I rented it recently actually. Fairly different I thought but one of few book adaptations that can totally change things and still turn out well in its own right.

The Firebrand - I have such a huge interest in Greek myth that this was a great read for me.

Jurassic Park and The Lost World - I think considerably better than the movies. Great books although the Chaos theory can be tough to understand.

The Thornbirds - better than I thought it would be.

Hmmm.

I'm a romance Novel whore!

Julie Garwood's novels
Judith McNaught(y)'s novels (mostly her London Society eria.)
and most recently :Eloise james' novels.

Harry Potter Novels- awsome! Love PoA the most. But OotP was great too. I love anything that talks about his and his parents past.

Divine Secret of the Ya YA Sisterhood- by Rebecca Wells
Where the Heart Is- Billie Lettts
Fried Green Tomoatos and The Whistle Stop Cafe- Fannie Flagg

and that's all I can think of righ now.

Absolute Favorite books

Science Fiction:

Dune - Frank Herbert

Fantasy:

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (specifically The Two Towers) - Tolkien is tied with A Song of Ice and Fire - series by George R.R. Martin

Historical Fiction/Fantasy:

The Camulod Chronicles - Jack Whyte. Just got The Lance Thrower, the second to last in the series.

History:

A Soldier's Story of His Regiment - G.W. Nichols. It's the story of Private G.W. Nichols of Company D, the 61st Georgia Volunteer Infantry, written by Mr. Nichols, after the War Between the States. It's a ver moving story which really hits home for me; I've got an ancestor who served with Private Nichols during the War.

LOTR Trilogy-Tolkien
HP series-Rowling
Pride & Prejudice-Austen

;D

One of my favorite books is "Demon in My View" by Amelia Atwater Rhodes! I lurve that book! Two my favorite series is, surprisingly, not the LotR series (even though I LOVE the movies) but the Daughters of the Moon series by Lynne Ewing and The Book of Three series (which is sort of like LotR) by Llyod Alexander.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
The Stand by Stephen King

am about to read the LOTR, but not much time to read lately

Can anyone suggest any good biographies?*


Have only read a few 'good' ones lately -
First to come to mind is Michael J Fox's "Lucky Man" - also Mary Higgins Clark's "Kitchen Privileges" was good.

Forgot to mention The DaVinvi Code. It's really good.

Forgot to mention The DaVinvi Code.* It's really good.


'Angels and Demons' was excellent, too! His 'Deception Point' is non-religious dogma based but along the same basic lines and a twist at the end.

HUGE "sloppy firsts" fan here! Such a girl read (my avatar is a quote from the book)

I also love Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter (countin down until July's release of Half Blood Prince!).

I would really recommend "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel. It may be my favorite book

i love all of Jo's book (JK Rowling, she loves the site i love so i act like we're on a first name basis)
and Tolkien, of course (you can probably tell by looking at me)
Garth Nix is also very good....
and just about any book i read that isnt extremely boring.

still counting the days to Half-Blood Prince

THE NOTEBOOK & A WALK TO REMEMBER
by Nicholas Sparks


TEN TIMES BETTER THAN THE MOVIES!

Forrest Gump was also a good book, it was a lot different than the movie.

Books, in my professional opinion as a book worm, are usually ALWAYS better than the movies they are made after. EXCEPT for Anne of Green Gables. That series was pretty darn close to the book and very very well acted.

Agree that books are usually better than the movie version. Two especially come to mind - 'Jurassic Park' and 'The Godfather' Sometimes when I've read the book I almost hate to see the movie, knowing it just won't be as good or like I pictured when I was reading the book. Have to say I have two notable exceptions to this all the LOTR and Harry Potter movies were great - was not disappointed at all!

I agree with you, bearlover.* The movies are never quite as good as the books.


THE NOTEBOOK & A WALK TO REMEMBER
by Nicholas Sparks


TEN TIMES BETTER THAN THE MOVIES!


The thing that disappointed me most about The Notebook was that the ending was totally different in the movie than the book.* I just didn't like the ending in the movie.* Message in a Bottle was completely different than the book.* They changed some of the main things in the movie that was in my opinion some of the most important details in the book.

It's almost not worth seeing the movie if you read the book.* It's not like that in all cases, though.* I know that they have to change things for dramatic reasons and some things in books can't be translated onto film but reading the books is always 10x better than seeing the movie.

I like reading Ernest Hemingway

"A Farewell To Arms" is such a wonderful book. I agree Bonny, he is very very good.

Ophelia-did you think the Anne of Green Gables movies were as good as the books? The first one was, but the second and third movies veered off quite a lot from the books, especially the third. Don't get me wrong, I love the movies, but those are some of my favourite books, and I'm not sure whether the movies did them justice....oh well. To each her own right? ;D

Mmmm, they did a pretty good job all around. I just love that whole story. Any body willing to have made it a movie is a great person in my book.

I have a soft spot for the Anne of Green Gables movies!!! (I pretend the third one doesn't exist at all though!...it didn't need to be made)

The first movie was very similar to the first book which was good. And the second movie, although a combination of book 2,3 and 4 in the series, so perfectly captured the 'essence' of Anne. I don't mind when adaptations take liberties with the plot as long as they remain true to the heart of the story and I think they did that! The Anne and Gilbert romance was portrayed perfecty...so sweet. And I maintain that Megan Follows was literally the perfect Anne of Green Gables...I can't even imagine the character as anyone else.

Megan Follows was indeed the best Anne they could have chosen, and they filmed most of the first movie 5 minutes from my house, which is kinda neat and two heritage villages, which are very fun to visit, so it's kind of deja-vu for me when I watch the movies, lol.

Ooh, I saw Jonathon Crombie in a play last year, he still looks liek the same old Gilbert...it was very cool.

But yeah, #3 had no connetion to the books other than war, but the wrong people!!! darn! I would've loved to see who they picked to play Jem, Walter, Shirly, Nan, Di and Rilla. Wouldn't that have been cool?

Where did they film Anne of Green Gables by the way?

And you're right it would have been cool! They should have made the third movie right after the second one instead of waiting 10 years.

They filmed it in Ontario, about 45 minutes outside Toronto if you want me to get specific, lol. I didnt' mind the 10 year wait, but because it was such a long wait, I wish it would've been more...accurate....ahh well

hmm...I live outside of Toronto, in Scarborough...was it anywhere near there? I'm very curious now...how did I not know this? I just assumed they filmed it on PEI...which actually makes little sense now that I think about it....

Ophelia, if you wouldn't mind, can you spoiler font the end of The Notebook (the book) I just watched the movie and am curious to how the book ends.

QueenE: They filmed it in Kitchener at Doon Pioneer Village (ever been there? It's fun!) and then they did more filming at Westfield Heritage Village, which is near the African Lion Safari actaully, if you're following Highway * out toward Hamilton...I hope that helps!!!!
Alexandrite :)

Has anyone ever read "Life of Pi"? It's a good book, but did anyone find it disturbing?

LOL, you won't believe me but its true, I have not read the end of the book. My sister stole it from me before I could finish the last bits! So I will finish it sometime and let you know...or go out and take it out from the library! You really should read it first. It is sooo good. So sooooo soooooo....*you get the point eh?*

NITE all!

I have seen the movie Pi....that was disturbing at the end, it's probably the same story I would assume.

Joe Lansdale - mainly his Hap and Leonard novels like Mucho Mojo, The Two Bear Mambo, Rumble Tumble
Tim Dorsey - his Serge novels like Florida Roadkill, Triggerfish Twist, Torpedo Juice
William Gibson - Nueromancer
Brian Lumley - Necroscope series
Mark Rogers - The Dead, Samurai Cat series ;)
Frank Herbert - Dune
Brian Keene - The Rising, City Of The Dead

I liked a lot of early Stephen King. The Stand, Firestarter & Misery are my favorites. His short stories are pretty good too.

I love mystery & suspense. Mary Higgins Clark, John Grisham, James Patterson & Faye Kellerman. I have read every book by each of them except for James Patterson. I just started reading his stuff last year so I have to catch up.

I also have been addicted to Romance Novels for years. It has been a guilty obsession. I must have read thousands of them. Julie Garwood, Johanna Lindsey, Linda Leal Miller.

Last but not least I must have read Little Woman at least 10 times. One of my all time favorites.

mac - I forgot all about James Patterson when I did my list - don't know how as I have read all of his! Also, like Tom Clancy but haven't read him in awhile. My sister-in-law reads JD Robb /Nora Roberts and lends them to me when she is done so I need to add her to my list too!

Everybody is giving me the names of some great books to look for and I can't wait to read them!

bearlover, I just started reading Pattersons books and they are really good but intense. I wind up staying up way too late so I can find ou what happens!

I know what you mean mac - but I do find even thought they are long and intense they are also a fast read!

I liked a lot of early Stephen King. The Stand, Firestarter & Misery are my favorites. His short stories are pretty good too.

I love mystery & suspense. Mary Higgins Clark, John Grisham, James Patterson & Faye Kellerman. I have read every book by each of them except for James Patterson. I just started reading his stuff last year so I have to catch up.

I also have been addicted to Romance Novels for years. It has been a guilty obsession. I must have read thousands of them. Julie Garwood, Johanna Lindsey, Linda Leal Miller.

Last but not least I must have read Little Woman at least 10 times. One of my all time favorites.


If you haven't, you need to read "The Dark Tower" by Stephen King....AMAZING!!! If you liked The Stand you will certainly love that. There is sections of the book that talks about what is happening in "The Stand" and Randal Flagg is also in and out of the book as well :)

If you haven't, you need to read "The Dark Tower" by Stephen King....AMAZING!!! If you liked The Stand you will certainly love that. There is sections of the book that talks about what is happening in "The Stand" and Randal Flagg is also in and out of the book as well :)


I never did try reading the Dark Tower Series, it did not interest me at the time. I guess I'll have to give them a try.* Thanks!

It's a little hard to get into for the first few pages, but I promise by 1/4 of the first book you will LOVE it.....and it only gets so so so much better from the 1st book....I swear, I am obsessed with it haha

It's a little hard to get into for the first few pages, but I promise by 1/4 of the first book you will LOVE it.....and it only gets so so so much better from the 1st book....I swear, I am obsessed with it haha


Well the first time I read the Stand I could not get into it. I tried it again about a year later and could not put it down. So I have no problem with a slow start.

Actually most people usually burn out on book four of the dark tower series. Wizard and Glass is just a really tough read for some people. So burning have you read all of them? I'm interested to see what you thought of the ending to 7.

My favourite authors are R.A.Salvatore, Tolkien, Mercedes Lackey and Anne Rice. The Vampire Chronicles at any rate. i tried to read the Mayfair Witch books and crapped out 100 pages into book one.
I'm sure I've forgotten some, but oh well.

Actually most people usually burn out on book four of the dark tower series. Wizard and Glass is just a really tough read for some people. So burning have you read all of them? I'm interested to see what you thought of the ending to 7.


No I haven't finished yet, I started right after Christmas (I got them for a present) and I'm just finishing book 4, it was a little tough to read at first because it leaves the story and goes into Roland's past, but I found that right after that story started with Susan meeting Rhea I was hooked on that part of the story as well. I think book 3 right now is my favorite, but book 4 is a close second....I really loved the story of Roland's past with Susan though. I can't wait to finish the story but at the same time I don't want to either. I think it was harder to start reading the story because the language is a little off, but I quickly got into it and now I find myself saying "sai" and "ka" a lot :P :lol2: just kidding. I'll try and let you know what I thought of the ending of book 7 though once I get there :) Did you like it?

No Comment. :-X

I'm interested to see what you think when you finish them though. It seems thoughts differ alot about the ending. It seems if people who just starts the books know don't have as much of a problem with it as people like me who have been reading the series since The Gunslinger first came out do.

Hm....now I want to finish it even more because of your comment. I would of hated started reading the Gunslinger when it first came out and having to wait so many years for the final book....and even between books it was like a 10 year wait.

That's when I read them but now that I know the final book is out I'll have to start over again (It's been too long for me to remember all of it - just have a vague memory of what I read. Did like it - so am looking forward to reading then) Also, need to re-do Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicle's as someone said the last book of that is out!

I've got almost every one of Stephen Kings books. The Talisman w/ Peter Straub was my favorite,never got into the Dark Tower series. Right now l'm rereading Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, awesome books.

The only Stephen King book I like is the Green Mile...I find the rest of them too graphic and I dont' do well with that sort of stuff. (Not that teh Green Mile didn't affect me, jsut not as much, lol)

The only Stephen King book I like is the Green Mile...

Was this very different from the movie?* I've seen the movie but haven't read the book. I liked the movie pretty good.* *I find Stephen King very disturbing at times so I don't care to read his books.*

I feel the same way about Dean Koontz.* I read his book Intensity and it was so disturbing. I read it late at night and I honestly could not go to sleep that night.

I feel the same way about Dean Koontz.* I read his book Intensity and it was so disturbing.* I read it late at night and I honestly could not go to sleep that night.


I like Dean Koontz better now than Stephen King but agree the best time to read either is during a nice bright sunny day long before you intend to go to bed!

I like Dean Koontz better now than Stephen King but agree the best time to read either is during a nice bright sunny day long before you intend to go to bed!


Yeah, I wish I had known that before I started reading it. A friend really liked the book and told me to read it and well they failed to mention that it was so scarey and I should sleep with a light on! :)

Right now, I'm involved with a James Patterson book and it is pretty good so far.

My all time favorite book is, To Kill a Mockingbird and Harper Lee is my favorite author. Even though Mockingbird is her only book.
John Steinbeck and Edgar Allen Poe come in at a close second, and for really entertaining writing I like Anne Rice. Love her Vampire books.

I have never read Anne Rice. I have heard alot about her Vampire books. Can someone give me a rundown of what the books are about?

Hey guys, I'm reading this really good book right now by Tom Wolfe, it's called "I am Charlotte Simmons" I reccommend it, it's really quite the fascinating, entertaining read! :)

I have never read Anne Rice.* I have heard alot about her Vampire books.* Can someone give me a rundown of what the books are about?


Now that's a daunting task! ;D I really recommend reading the first book, Interview with the Vampire. Once you get started, I guarantee you'll run out and buy The Vampire Lestat and Queen of the Damned.

Here's at least one synopsis I found that does a fairly good job of describing Interview with the Vampire:

"In the now-classic novel Interview with the Vampire, Anne Rice refreshed the archetypal vampire myth for a late-20th-century audience. The story is ostensibly a simple one: having suffered a tremendous personal loss, an 18th-century Louisiana plantation owner named Louis Pointe du Lac descends into an alcoholic stupor. At his emotional nadir, he is confronted by Lestat, a charismatic and powerful vampire who chooses Louis to be his fledgling. The two prey on innocents, give their "dark gift" to a young girl, and seek out others of their kind (notably the ancient vampire Armand) in Paris. But a summary of this story bypasses the central attractions of the novel. First and foremost, the method Rice chose to tell her tale--with Louis' first-person confession to a skeptical boy--transformed the vampire from a hideous predator into a highly sympathetic, seductive, and all-too-human figure. Second, by entering the experience of an immortal character, one raised with a deep Catholic faith, Rice was able to explore profound philosophical concerns--the nature of evil, the reality of death, and the limits of human perception--in ways not possible from the perspective of a more finite narrator."

I don't really have any favorite books. I read entirely too much to name just one book. Favorite authors..hmm. Stephen King, Anne Rice, Gertrude Chandler Warner, Christopher Pike, Willow Davis Roberts, I use to have a major thing for Judy Bloom books...etc. I can't think of any others off the top of my head.

i don't really have a favorite book or author, and i don't really stick with one author. the only author i really stuck with was R.L Stine with Fear Street books. but i am currently reading Gathering Blue. and i am almost finished are there any book requst for when i finish?

I love books. I love reading. Since I want to write for a living, I can appreciate all writers for their specific strengths. I do have an affinity for Edgar Allen Poe.

This is hard... I've kept it as short as possible.

I am currently reading Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld.

As far as Novels go:

Gloria by Keith Maillard (read it 3 years ago in 72 hours, could not put it down, it was the best thing I’d read in literally, 5 years, all my friends read it too, in fact, I lent it to one and before the day was over she went to Amazon & ordered a copy)

Anything by Margaret George, but my favorites are The Memoirs of Cleopatra & Mary Queen of Scots (if you’re looking for a historical novel tome, she’s the go to girl, two of my friends are hooked on her too)

White Teeth by Zadie Smith
Anything by Louis Auchincloss, but my favorite is Her Infinite Variety
The Ptolemies by Duncan Sprott
The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington
The Company She Keeps by Mary McCarthy
I, Claudius & Claudius The God by Robert Graves (so good it’s ridiculous)

In Plays:
Shakespeare’s Hamlet and in that vein any analysis of such by Harold Bloom

In Sci-fi/Fantasy:
Dune (any and all, original or prequel, it rocks infinity)
Jennifer Government by Max Barry (way excellent)
LOTR (goes without saying, right?)

In History:
Anything by Paul Johnson

In Mystery:
Anything by Agatha Christie with Hercule Poirot & I love Josephine Tey

In "It’s Completely Indefensible But I* Allow Myself":
Anything by Maeve Binchy & the Gossip Girl series by Cecily vonZiegesar

wow that is a long list and i guess you have read a lot more than that!!! i should look into a lot of those books! thanks for the list!

Hey there! Well, I guess the secret's out! I'm a book whore. It's an addiction and if you ever need any more recommendations... just ask! :lol2:

I love to read so I have alot of favorites
right now however I'm reading "Body of Evidence" a CSI Novel
and My favorite authors are John Grisham and Alice Hoffman

My all time fave author is Ernest Hemingway and my fave book he wrote is A Farewell To Arms. I also love Anne Rice's Lasher and Sophie Kinsella's the 'Shopaholic' books.

Marina

I love Tolkein, as do many of you.

I had to read A Farewell to Arms for school this year, and it was pretty good and it was a fast read, but I didn't really like Catherine.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Housseini (or something like that) is amazing and beautifully written. I also love the Harry Potter books. Another good one is The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (it's kind of a girl book).

Right now I'm reading The Faery Reel, a collection of short stories about faries edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling. It's really good and they're great editors.

I'm surprised to not find my all-time favorite on anybodies lists

A Wild Sheep Chase, by Haruki Murakami

other great fiction reads:

Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Anything by Franz Kafka
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams

I also read tons of books related to history and religious studies on the period of Second Temple Judaism

The Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy is good. I've got to read some of the others. Did you konw they're making it into a movie?

I think I have to read Crime and Punishment this summer.

Dude. im gonna have alot of suggestions to page through :laugh: as far as my suggestions, i love anything by Dean Koontz. If you're into mystery, read his work. It's awesome! I'm currently working on two of his books, False Memory and Fear Nothing. He has this great ability to keep you interested the entire book. He keeps you guessing until the very end with so many twists and turn that are all inter-connected in the end. I'm also into the Clive Cussler books. They are so well written, and keep you entertained the whole way through. Trust me, if you got some psare time, check one of those out, it will be worth it ;)

Did you konw they're making it into a movie?


Yeah, I've just reread the first three books in preperation (it's been years since I first read them). *The trailers look pretty good on the site for the movie, so I'm pretty stoked to see it :w00t:

Crime and Punishment is a great book, although, that Dostevsky fellow is no Murakami *;) *(Kafka's good too, lots of great short stories)

i knew i saw a big poster for it at my movie threather..

well i loved the sisterhood of the traveling pants series.. just finished the third! can't wait for the movie..

i thought go ask alice was a good book even though it was depressing and also is the book drowning anna, but me and my friend got some pretty funny quotes from drowning anna..
(sorry the books i mentioned are a little more for teenagers, sorry)

I read a break with charity or something around that title by ann rinaldi, also rabbit proof fence was a good book, it was a real story that happened in australia.

also good books, my antonia, whirligig, and where the red fern grows. i have more i just have to think of them

Hey do any of you guys read John Grisham? I'm not into the legal stuff so much, but there is a really good book by him called A Painted House...it's really a beautiful story and I highly reccommend it!!!! I think I'm gonna start reading the Cound of Monte Cristo as well...it's huge looks liek it's going ot be a daunting task lol. I'll keep you posted on how that goes!

I've never read John Grisham, but I watch a lot of movies based on his books....like, The Rainmaker, Runaway Jury, and there's a billion others. The Rainmaker makes me cry :(


Count of Monte Cristo is a wondeful story!! You will enjoy it! I would recommend watching the movie with John Caviezel and Guy Pierce if you haven't as well.

I read John Grisham I've seen the movie to a Painted house NOT as good as his other books in my opinion

Let's see, I love Tolkien, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are huge favorites. Also The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, though it's been awhile since I read those.

I'm a hopeless Harry Potter addict...the only thing getting my through HP withdrawl is Lost, and I expect Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is going to help me get through Lost withdrawls this summer. ;D Prisoner of Azkaban is still my favorite HP book.

Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles were my great addiction before HP and LotR. I love Interview With the Vampire dearly.

A new favorite is Watership Down. I read it for the Sawyer Book Club we have going in DIMPLES, and I've fallen in love with it too.

I used to read John Grisham books (I started on those in elementary school, before the Anne Rice obsession took over in junior high). I haven't read one in a long while, though.

I also enjoyed Wicked by Gregory Maguire and The Princess Bride by William Goldman. Oh, and The Godfather by Mario Puzo.

I loved Pride and Prejudice and Count of Monte Cristo. Also Macbeth, Hamlet, Othello - all of the Shakespeare tragedies.

I'm sure there are others, I just can't think of them at the moment. Right now I'm reading A Wrinkle in Time for the book club. After that, I may give Heart of Darkness a go - I was supposed to read it for a college english class, but the teacher decided to cut it out of the syllabus, so I never actually read it.

~ RG

Count of Monte Cristo is a wondeful story!! You will enjoy it!* I would recommend watching the movie with John Caviezel and Guy Pierce if you haven't as well.


yeah, that was a great movie... anyways, for me, i don't have much time for recreational reading, but whenever i do, i'm all about Stephen King... the last one i read was "the regulators" by his pen name richard bachman... pretty good... the last non-stephen king book i read was for my nature writing class in undergrad-- Travels in Alaska by John Muir... very good read

STEPHEN KING ROCKS THE MOST!!!

A Wrinkle in Time? Those books were not too bad, although I must admit, not my favourites. However, so that I understand book reports from kids, I read a Seried of Unfortunate events up to book 10, and they were evil...but entertaining. I just don't think children should read them! Evilness...

My favorite childrens books were LLoyd Alexanders Prydan books. The book of three, the black cauldron, and so on Gurgi rocks. mmm crunchings and munchings

I really liked that story about the chicken and the sky falling, god what a classic.

Paperbag Princess
I'll love you forever - both childrens books, same author

I read a book called The Swan, when I was a kid, and I keep thinking of it lately.
End of the world, good wins, kind of book. I recommend it.

Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith is a good read too... i read it a while ago though

Paperbag Princess
I'll love you forever - both childrens books, same author


Oh my god...I can't even THINK about "I love you forever" without wanting to cry...my mom read it to me all the time as a kid and she couldn't get through it without tearing up!

well that was funny... i went to google to find the author of another book i liked, and i put in "thegoogle" into the address bar... sheesh, i'm spending too much time around here hehe... anyways, yeah, another book i dug is called The Chosen by Chaim Potok... another oldie but a goodie

the Giver by Lois Lowry, and she also wrote Gathering Blue - both good

Ooh, I just read Figital Fortress by Dan Brown...oh its' very good. Has anybody read Deception Point? I can't find it and I want to read it!

Ooh, I just read Figital Fortress by Dan Brown...oh its' very good.* Has anybody read Deception Point? I can't find it and I want to read it!


Deception Point was excellent! My sister in law lent it to me - highly recommend it! Digital Fortress is the only Dan Brown I haven't read yet but it's on my must read list! ;D

Oh you must definitely read Digital Fortress...it's so different...I liked it a lot. My mom wasn't a fan, but meh, lol. :laugh:

Fave authors
#1 - Douglas Coupland
#2 - Will Ferguson
#3 - Jasper Fforde
#4 - Ben Elton
#5 - Michael Moore
I love Canadian and British authors the most

Fave books
#1 - Girlfriend in a Coma - Douglas Coupland (blew my mind away)
#2 - How to be canadian even if you are already one -Will Ferguson (funniest book I ever read, but you have to be canadian to understand it)
#3 - Jasper Fforde's trilogy
#4 - All familes are psychotic - Douglas Coupland
#5 - Elenor Rigby - Douglas Coupland
#6 - I was a teenage Katima-victim - Will Ferguson
#7 - Life after god - Douglas Coupland
#8 - In his own write and Spaniard in the works - John Lennon
#9 - Rule of the bone - Russell Banks
#10 - Popcorn - Ben Elton
And any book written about the Beatles and Lord of the Rings. :punk: :punk: :punk: :punk: :punk:

I am currently reading Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld.



In "It’s Completely Indefensible But I* Allow Myself":
Anything by Maeve Binchy & the Gossip Girl series by Cecily vonZiegesar


I like the Gossip Girl books.* I saw Prep in a book store the other day and it looked good, what do you think of it?

i heard the gossip girl books were good, i still have to pick one up.

i just thought of the book flipped. that was a good book!

did anyone read silent to the bone? cause i am reading that now. if you did can you tell me if you liked it?

Favorite books in no order:

Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Tales of the City series by Armistead Maupin
1984 by George Orwell
Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Towing Jehovah by James Morrow
Daphne's Book by Mary Downing Hahn
The Stand by Stephen King
Twenty Two Stories by J.D. Salinger
Welcome to the Monkey House by Kurt Vonnegut
Dharma Punx by Noah Levine
The Mother Trip by Ariel Gore
Please Kill Me by Legs McNeil

and a million other books.

Lost Dreamer- I've only read the first Gossip Girl book but I liked it. Have you read the book Feeling Sorry For Celia by Jaclyn Moritary? That one's really good.

I like the Gossip Girl books.* I saw Prep in a book store the other day and it looked good, what do you think of it?

I've read all of the Gossip Girl books so far & though there is some linear discrepancy throughout, for the most part, they're pretty good. I wasn't expecting Goethe.

Prep was excellent! It was funny and rang true (with my own knowledge of the subject). It's well worth picking up and it was a quick read. I am anxiously awaiting Curtis Sittenfeld's next book. Here's hoping she's tapping away at the keys furiously!
;)

A Wrinkle in time
Harry potter series
Most of Stephen King
most of Dean Koontz
;)

Harry Potter books

The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho is the best book I've ever read.

Favorite book of all time - Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

Favorite authors:
Jane Austen
H.P. Lovecraft
Douglas Adams
J.K. Rowling
Bret Easton Ellis
Patricia Cornwell
Julia Quinn
Stephanie Laurens

I'm sure there are more, but I can't think right now......

I like Steven King, Ann Rice, and Michael Cricton books. I also like the Harry Potter series. My favorite book of all time is Crime and Punishment. Runners up are The World According to Garp and Cider House Rules.

Harry Potter books


Next book should be out soon..Last time we went to book release party at Borders. It was fun they has all stuff for the kids to do - like make there own magic wand. When we went to see Star Wars over the week they had a poster up for the next movie - due out in November! :D

I can't wait for Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince....YAY!!!

And then in November it's a brand spankin' new movie with my favourite kids in the world...lol...okay not in the WORLD...but Rupert Grint as Ron may be the most adorable thing ever....lol

RON:The spiders....they want me to tapdance...I don't want to tapdance
HARRY: You tell those spiders Ron!
RON: Yeah, I'll tell 'em....

Ooh, right now I'm reading the Two Towers, by J.R.R. Tolkien of course! It's talking me forever to finish all 3. :-\ But they're very good!!!


I haven't read the Harry Potter series but I plan to, right after I finish LotR.

I also liked "Island of the Blue Dolphins". I forgot who wrote it though. :-\

but Rupert Grint as Ron may be the most adorable thing ever....lol

RON:The spiders....they want me to tapdance...I don't want to tapdance
HARRY: You tell those spiders Ron!
RON: Yeah, I'll tell 'em....


He's the best! I love Ron. :)

JerseyGirl- I have to read Crime and Punishment this summer. I haven't heard much about it except for that it's long.

islandchica- I think Scott O'Dell wrote Island of the Blue Dolphins. The Lord of the Rings seires took me a while too. And the Harry Potter books are really good, they're hard to put down so they read really quickly (I'm re-reading the series right now).

JerseyGirl- I have to read Crime and Punishment this summer.* I haven't heard much about it except for that it's long.



It's a great book. I had to read it for AP English in HS. The characters are very touching.

islandchica- I think Scott O'Dell wrote Island of the Blue Dolphins.* The Lord of the Rings seires took me a while too.* And the Harry Potter books are really good, they're hard to put down so they read really quickly (I'm re-reading the series right now).


Oh, yes, that's right. Thanks, liz! :)

I am so glad this popped up in my list again! :laugh: I'm currently reading, The B**** Posse & I Am Charlotte Simmons. And I am eagerly awaiting Travelers by John Twelve Hawks on June 28th. Hooray for summertime reading!!!

I have 8 or 9 books waiting to be my summertime reading! :laugh: Just finished The Five People You Meet in Heaven, plan to start the newest Nora Roberts as soon as I'm laid off for the summer! ;D

Hi.

I've read and enjoyed lots and lots of books - I couldn't name them all... But I'll give some of them a shot.

Lloyd Alexander's stuff was great - and Disney did an okay job with the Black Cauldron
I'm currently reading Clive Barker's Imajica and really enjoying it, and had just finished Book 1 of Abarat, which I also liked, and I hear Disney has the rights to turn the quartet into movies. He's yet to disappoint me.
Chronicles of Narnia were good, but as the series progressed, I lost interest. Perelandra, etc. I didn't like.
The Stand I loved.
Chase the Morning, by Michael Scott Rohan I really liked, and if I was Steven Spielberg or George Lucas, I'd be all over that.
Don't like Tolkein's LOTR books (but I liked the movies), but The Hobbit was okay.
I like Robert Crais - Bruce Willis was in Hostage recently that was adapted from one of his. I think Crais is great.
I've read most of James Lee Burke's Robicheaux novels and think they're great too.
I used to read Tony Hillerman's mysteries, but I can't seem to pick up any of the new ones.
William Gibson and Neal Stephenson have yet to disappoint me.
Stephen R. Lawhead did some good Arthurian things with his Pendragon Cycle. But he had an older book called Empyrion that I really enjoyed when I was young.
There's more, but I can't type more.

bearlover2- What did you think of The Five People You Meet In Heaven? I read Tuesdays with Morrie by the same author and I thought it was really good.

lostnlaguna -I am Charlotte Simmons is a great book!!!!! I just read it a coupel months ago, I really enjoyed it! I'm sure you'll like it

Everything I love and read is strictly guilty pleasure and makes me look like the dumb blonde I suppose I am, but I don't really care LOL.

Actually I haven't read anything in a while. Ever since I started writing on my own I have had a hard time getting into other books. But then I've always gone through off/on phases with books.


Anyhow...


Laurell K Hamilton
Sherrilyn Kenyon I met last fall, she's got to be one of the all time nicest people around fun to talk to.
Anne Rice, everything that had nothing to do with the Mayfair witches, I loved.
The Outsiders
Much Ado About Nothing
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator by Roald Dahl
Peter Pan

Loved Lloyd Alexander and also the Narnia books when I was in school- I've got the CS Lewis on tape currently in my car.

on the subject of totally pointless cheesey romance, Kasey Michaels writes these books called "Maggie By the Book", etc, that I love. They're about this writer woman whose characters come to life and basically bug the crap out of her. I like that one because it's the story of my life, LOL.
Also Nora Roberts- Honest Illusions

Now because I'm a comics nut I'm going to add in Neil Gaiman's The Sandman and the first several TPBs of Terry Moore's Strangers in Paradise. And I'm a total slut for anything Michael Turner draws, but that's a bit off topic.

OH and The Stinky Cheese Man, and the True Story of the Big Bad Wolf, by I forget how to spell his name and Lane Smith.

Anne Rice - I liked the first few Vampire books up through Memnoch the Devil. I think I liked Tale of the Body Thief the best, but don't know why. I didn't read any of her other series, and then the vampire books just lost their magic for me.

Comics - The Maxx was my favorite. Beautiful and quirky, sometimes dark, but always fun.

on the subject of totally pointless cheesey romance, Kasey Michaels writes these books called "Maggie By the Book", etc, that* I love. They're about this writer woman whose characters come to life and basically bug the crap out of her. I like that one because it's the story of my life, LOL.
Also Nora Roberts- Honest Illusions


I get in chessy romance kicks *though I only like ones that take place in 1700-1800's London* In fact I just got 2 new ones on Sunday, they take me about a day to read but they are mindless and fun!! :)

mo glo

I knew there was someone out there who'd read cheesy romance novels... :)

I did read some of those when I was in Jr. High I think - I found a box of them somewhere. They were a bit titilating to a young boy.

After growing, the closest I get are some classics that can probably fall in those categories - Ivan Tugenev's Torrents of Spring for example, which happened to be made into a movie with Timothy Hutton and Valeria Golina and Nastassja Kinski. It wasn't very good, but Ms. Golina was hot. Sadly 2 years later, she made Hot Shots!

William Gibson's The Difference Engine could fall into that romance category in the 1700-1800's London...

I read a lot of philosophy and literary analysis. I love Julia Kristeva in particular. She reads like a dreamy novel at times. I love Kafka but get too emotional when I read it. I love, love, love the short stories of Saki. Most modern novels haven't done much for me. Every year at Christmas I read 'Ballet Shoes', 'Charlotte Sometimes', and 'Marianne Dreams', which were my favourites when I was small. Some of the best writing I've ever read is from Margaret Mahy, a New Zealand author whose work is actually intended for teenagers. The same goes for 'Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack', by ME Kerr.

Anne Rice - I liked the first few Vampire books up through Memnoch the Devil. I think I liked Tale of the Body Thief the best, but don't know why. I didn't read any of her other series, and then the vampire books just lost their magic for me.



I agree. I first started reading her with the Witches series. I love any book or movie about witches. They facinate me. :)

As for Romance novels, I don't read much, but my friend made me read this series by Diana Gabaldon and they were really good.


What did you think of The Five People You Meet In Heaven?

I loved the Five People You Meet in Heaven. It's a great book!

Sue Grafton A is for Alibi B is for Blackmail the entire Kinsey Milhoine series

lostnlaguna -I am Charlotte Simmons is a great book!!!!! I just read it a coupel months ago, I really enjoyed it! I'm sure you'll like it

Awesome!!! :lol2: The review in I'd read a while back in The New Yorker was a bit ambivalent but I rarely care what reviewers have to say. It looked pretty interesting and Tom Wolf wrote it (if it's half as good as Bonfire of the Vanities I'll be thrilled).

I mentioned a few months back in this thread that I was reading Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld. It was great & I highly recommend it.

bearlover2- What did you think of The Five People You Meet In Heaven? I read Tuesdays with Morrie by the same author and I thought it was really good.



I really liked it. Had seen the tv movie version and found that hard to follow but the book was much clearer about what was going on and why! I cried at the end - of course, I am a big mush and cry easily! :'(

Yes, I did see the TV version. I thought it was pretty good, but I liked the book better.

What does everyone think of Jodi Picoult? I read My Sister's Keeper and the plot was really good but I didn't really like her writing style- it seemed a bit cliched to me. But I want to read more of her books because all of the topics sound so ineresting.

Anne Rice - I liked the first few Vampire books up through Memnoch the Devil. I think I liked Tale of the Body Thief the best, but don't know why. I didn't read any of her other series, and then the vampire books just lost their magic for me.


I just found out that she is finished with the first vampire chroncles series so I may pick those up again and read them in order. But I know what you mean - in the beginning I was all into them and then they lost something. But do want to try again - hate to have a series started and not finished!

Sue Grafton* * A is for Alibi* B is for Blackmail* * *the entire Kinsey Milhoine series



I have read all of that series too! Big mystery fan. Sue Grafton has gotten better and better with every book!

bearlover2- Have you ever read The Beekeeper's Apprentice and the rest of that series by Laurie R. King? I read The Beekeeper's Apprentice a while ago and I thought it was very good. I haven't read any of the otehrs yet though- I want to reread The Beekeeper's Apprentice.

Stephen King - My dad is an addict - The Stand is a must
All Harry Potter books
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Great Expectations
Crime and Punishment
Jane Eyre
Whats Eating Gilbert Grape?
Diary of Anne Frank - I've read it 10 times so far in my life

I didn't know Whats Eating Gilbert Grape? is a book. Who wrote it?

What's Eating Gilbert Grape was written by Peter Hedges.

It varies a bit from the film...I personally prefer film Becky over the one in the book. But I read an interview by Peter Hedges how there were key scenes that he wanted in the film.

I will be sure to read that book though. Thanks for telling me about it :)

bearlover2- Have you ever read The Beekeeper's Apprentice and the rest of that series by Laurie R. King? I read The Beekeeper's Apprentice a while ago and I thought it was very good.* I haven't read any of the otehrs yet though- I want to reread The Beekeeper's Apprentice.



No, I haven't. What's it about? makes note of another summer reading suggestion

There and back Again: An Actor's Tale By Sean Astin
The Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling
The Lord of the Rings books by J.R.R Tolkien

I think it's about a woman who starts being an assisstant to a detective, but I can't really remember- it's been so long. I remember liking it.

I really want to read Sean Astin's book!

Well its a good book. You should go and buy it.

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
Krakatoa the day the world exploded by Simon Winchester
Ibid : a novel by Mark Dunn
Curious incident of the dog in nighttime by Mark Haddon

Well its a good book. You should go and buy it.


I know. As I don't have a job this summer (I'm going out of town a lot), I've found myself frequently pondering summer spendings and it alters every time I think of it :lol2: But it's a high priority on my list.

Anyone here read Song of Susannah by Stephen King, it's part of his Dark Tower series. I just started reading it and was wondering if anyone else found it hard to get into at first? and if it gets better?

I've always liked Stephen King, John Saul, and Dean Koontz; now I love the Harry Potter Books. If you want a good, inspirational read, get The Ryan White autobiography, really makes ya think how good your life is to read about what that poor kid had to go through, he was and is an inspiraton. Another good book is "Paddle to the Amazon"; if you like adventure, it's about a father and son team who canoe from Canada to the mouth of the Amazon Canal, a true story, my book fell apart I read it so much.

Anyone here read Song of Susannah by Stephen King, it's part of his Dark Tower series. I just started reading it and was wondering if anyone else found it hard to get into at first? and if it gets better?


I actually got stuck in Dark Tower IV - Wizard and Glass. I almost finished it . I really want to finish the series, but I'm afraid I'll get stuck again.
I'm waiting for the second book from Dean Koontz- Frankenstein to come out and also Michael Connelly's The Closer to come out in paperback. I don't like hardback books. I've also saved every paperback book I've ever read. I have hundreds of them! Someday I'll have a library full of shelves for all my books.
My favorite books to collect are Robert Vavra's.

I actually got stuck in Dark Tower IV - Wizard and Glass. I almost finished it . I really want to finish the series, but I'm afraid I'll get stuck again.
I'm waiting for the second book from Dean Koontz- Frankenstein to come out and also Michael Connelly's The Closer to come out in paperback. I don't like hardback books. I've also saved every paperback book I've ever read. I have hundreds of them! Someday I'll have a library full of shelves for all my books.
My favorite books to collect are Robert Vavra's.


I understand, Wizard and Glass is hard to get into. But once you get to the end of the book where they go back into present time, with the "Wizard of Oz" parallel, it is really neat. But you HAVE to read Dark Tower 5 - Wolves of Calla, it is SO amazing!!! and you will definitely see this HUGE parallel to LOST, with the "others"!

O.K. now you've got me interested! As soon as I finish Maeve Binchy's Tara Road I'll pick up the Dark Tower again. I'll just have to be patient. Thanks for the info.

Just finished Clive Barker's Imajica. Probably the fastest I've read 1100 pages. It was good.

My favorite author is Steven King also but I enjoy Dean Koontz as well.
My favorite books are "IT", "The never ending story" and all the "Harry Potter" books.

#1 would have to be "A Wrinkle in time". Also, pretty much all of Stephen King - especially "The Stand.) Dean Koontz, Some Clive Barker: "The great & secret show" & "Weaveworld."

Right now, I have at least 3 books sitting on my shelf that I haven't gotten around to reading yet.
(But the minute Harry Potter & the Half blood prince comes out, you wont see me posting much, 'till I finish it! :jump1:

(But the minute Harry Potter & the Half blood prince comes out, you wont see me posting much, 'till I finish it! :jump1:


You mean we won't see you for a whole day! :lol2: Just joking, it actually takes me 2-3 days to read the books. They've been getting bigger, so this one may take me 4 days. Right now I'm re-reading the Stand.

To all you guys reading "The Stand" YOU MUST read "The Dark Tower" by Stephen King! Like, right NOW! haha.

Got furloughed from work today (I'm a seasonal worker) so I'll be starting on my summer reading pile of books.* Will tell you what I've read and what I think about it.* We should start doing that - reviewing the books as we read them and posting our thoughts!* *

Woah! I cant believe I left out some of my all time favorites!

The Boxcar children series by Gertrude Chandler Warner
(Absolute classics! They're for children....of all ages!)

The Doc Savage series
(May be out of print now)

The Three investigators series
(Similar to the Hardy boys) :laugh:

Oh, a good book to read is Good In Bed by Jennifer Werner. She's written a couple of books and they are making movies out of them.

On the topic of children's books, I also loved the Boxcar Children! Fabulous books. And I enjoyed all of the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary; those books are genuis :)

Bless your heart, Alexandrite!

I have loved the boxcar children since my sister introduced me to them in the 4th or 5th grade!
I like the 1st 6 best!

:flower:

I've never heard of the Boxcar children. I'll have to look at that. I did read the Ramona books and Henry Higgins and those.

I think the Abarat quartet needs more support. Everyone with "young adults" should suggest it to their kids.

Henry Huggins. (Higgins is from My Fair Lady lol)

Mea culpa.

More kids books:
Bunnicula (about a vampire rabbit)
Mr. Popper's Penguins
Peter Pan
Beverly Cleary also wrote Ralph S. Mouse, The Mouse and the Motorcycle, etc. They were kind of like the modern Stuart LIttle movies. But better.

BrerMatt-the ralph books are truly awesome, I read those so much, and bunnicula is throroughly enjoyable.

Otehr great books? By Roald Dahl-The BFG, The Twits, Matilda, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, The Witches and pretty much anything else by him.

Ooh, another good book-A Little Princess, made into a fabulous movie!

And of course, The Secret Garden!

How about The Phantom Tollbooth.

I think they made that into a bad movie... But I think the book was good. Except I think there was a part about math in it.

An excellent children's book is Edward Eager's Half Magic (and it's 4 sequels)

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0152020683/002-6918618-8568856?v=glance

If you liked the Chronicles of Narnia or any of the E. Nesbit books, you would like this.

My uncle wrote some children's books. His name is Richard Ammon and he wrote Growing Up Amish, An Amish Christmas, a book on railroads, a book on chocolate, and some others I think. He's a children's lit professor at Penn State.

Is he Amish?

No. Our ancestry is and he has a lot of contact with the Amish, so he writes non-fictional children's books about them. Actually all his books are non-fictional.

cool..I'll check his work out! :)

Everyone should read the Boxcar Children books. I had them read to me (my entire 3rd grade class actually) by our teacher every day. My mom had the same teacher and had it read to her.

When I was a kid I loved the "Great Brain" series. Anyone remember those? They were about a pre-teen boy living in turn-of-the-century Mormon Utah, whose "great brain" constantly came up with money-making schemes at the expense of his brothers and neighbors. The narrator was his younger brother, who often got dragged along for the ride. Those were fun!

I like to read Encyclopedia Brown and Amelia Bedelia when I was a kid. Oh, and Walter Farley (Black Stallion) books, although I think he started to lose his mind toward the end there.

I remember Amelia Bedelia! Those books were funny. I always loved Matilda and Harriet the Spy when I was younger.

I never read any Amelia Bedilia, but my ex-wife had (she's a bit younger than I). Eitehr they weren't around when I was growing up, or just not popular then.

I think my 10 year plan is to own my own bookstore/café with an apartment on the second floor, and write children's books.

I never read any Amelia Bedilia, but my ex-wife had (she's a bit younger than I). Eitehr they weren't around when I was growing up, or just not popular then.

I think my 10 year plan is to own my own bookstore/café with an apartment on the second floor, and write children's books.


Well I'm a couple of years older than you, so you must have missed it, or it was a girl thing. :)

Well I'm a couple of years older than you, so you must have missed it, or it was a girl thing. And I'm a couple of years older than you, and I remember them...but I tend to think of them as girl books.

Encyclopedia Brown - fabulous. Not heard of the Great Brain series - but I am intrigued....tell me more....was the main character a Mormon?

I love children's books, and avidly collect them! :)

Now I'm scared to admit that I used to read Amelia Bedelia.....must've been my sister's..... :unsure:


Not heard of the Great Brain series - but I am intrigued....tell me more....was the main character a Mormon?

Yes, as I recall, the protagonist and family were Mormons in 1890s Utah. The middle brother, Tom, is a smart-*** kid who is forever scheming to separate his brothers and friends from their spending money. His salt-of-the-earth parents generally do not approve. In one book, he goes away to the academy with his older brother, sets up a pipeline to import contraband chocolate bars, and becomes kingpin of a thriving black market, among other adventures. Now and then Tom puts his 'great brain' to more altruistic uses, like helping a neighbor learn to walk with a peg leg and solving crimes. The book is written as the reminisces of the younger brother, now an adult, and for all I know may have some basis in his actual experiences.

I don't know if the books are still in print - in fact they may have been out of print when I was a kid. My local library had them. One day when I was in the 8-10 range, Mom got fed up with my wastrel habits, marched me to the library and ordered me to check out 3 or 4 books - didn't matter what. The first book in the series was one of the ones we picked, and I read the entire series in short order. Moms know best. :flower:


I love children's books, and avidly collect them!* :)

Not sure how the selection compares with other stores, but Bearly Read Books on Rt 20 in Sudbury is a cool store with a nice children's section.

Bearly Read Books * Thanks for the tip - I'll have to find a time to drive down (now living north of the border in "Live Free or Die" land)* I'll make a day of it, and visit the New England Mobile Book Fair while I'm at it! (which you must go to if you have not already!)

Reading a book now about Mormons - "Leaving the Saints" by Martha Beck. I can't put it down. It's facinating. Jon Krakauer's book "Under the banner of heaven" is next.

Great Brain series is written by John Fitzgerald. (looked it up) and it looks like it may be OP.

I like to read Encyclopedia Brown and Amelia Bedelia when I was a kid.* Oh, and Walter Farley (Black Stallion) books, although I think he started to lose his mind toward the end there.



My favorite book as a child was Walter Farley's "Little Black a Pony" - in fact we recently found it (I knew I had kept it) and I gave it to my daughter.

I love most Anita Shreve books... esp fortunes rocks, resistance, and strange fits of passion
Harry Potter
I was a huge Nancy Drew fan growing up...
Mary Reed McCall's romance novels... I dont like the trashy romance books.. but Mrs. McCall was one of my teachers in hs.
Orwell, Salinger


then a ton more random books.. I love to read. I just finished The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. It was really good.

I just finished The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. Me Too - for my bookclub. I loved it. I liked getting inside the head of a person with Asperger's Disorder.

It was very interesting to read something from that side of things... And I love the math proofs in the apendix ;D

I have been reading Stephen King books since I was in elementary school and am now just getting around to starting the Dark Tower series. I'm on the first one right now. It's all a little confusing to start but I think once I get a little further into it it will become easier to understand. It's very interesting. I loved how the gunslingers name was never even mentioned until after you are already through 100 pages of the book.

I have been reading Stephen King books since I was in elementary school and am now just getting around to starting the Dark Tower series.* I'm on the first one right now.* It's all a little confusing to start but I think once I get a little further into it it will become easier to understand.* It's very interesting.* I loved how the gunslingers name was never even mentioned until after you are already through 100 pages of the book.


I started Steven King when I was 12. I went from Walter Farley's Black Stallion series to Pet Cemetary. :laugh:

Has anyone read "The Giver" ? Any good?

The Giver is actually pretty good, which is surprising because I seldom thought that "required" reading in school was good.

In college I took a children's lit class and that was one of the books. We read a bunch of Newberry Award winners as I recall. It's a quick read, but worth looking at.

Another book I really liked is called The Wave. Can't recall the author. It's based on a true story about a teacher who wanted to show the students how Nazi Germany was able to sway so many people to their point of view, so they do an experiment that gets out of control.

The same author wrote a book called something like "How I made my next door neighbor take me to prom," which was the basis for the Melissa Joan Hart movie Drive Me Crazy.

Another book I really liked is called The Wave. Can't recall the author. It's based on a true story about a teacher who wanted to show the students how Nazi Germany was able to sway so many people to their point of view, so they do an experiment that gets out of control. I remember that. They made that into an "afterschool special"!

Thanks BrerMatt :) I'll check it out!

Just finished There's No Place Like Home by Mary Higgins Clark. I enjoy most of her books and this was no different. Didn't pick out the main antagonist until almost the end. The accomplice was a slight surprise - hadn't picked up on the connection, was stuck on the 'red herring' possibility. I know I'm being vague but this is her newest and I don't want to ruin it for anyone! :angel:

nicholas sparks books... I love them... I cant get away
Im reading The Wedding right now....

I'm still re-reading the Stand. Trying to finish before the new Harry Potter comes out. ;D

I'm almost done with book 6 of the Dark Tower, then I can read the final book in the series, I can't wait to see how it ends, this book has been great so far.

I'm still re-reading the Stand. Trying to finish before the new Harry Potter comes out. ;D


I cant wait to read the new HP book!!! I really need to buy a copy now! (even tho i detest hard cover)

I too am rereading the Harry Potter books before the 6th one. I'm on the third one right now.

I have been reading Stephen King books since I was in elementary school and am now just getting around to starting the Dark Tower series.* I'm on the first one right now.* It's all a little confusing to start but I think once I get a little further into it it will become easier to understand.* It's very interesting.* I loved how the gunslingers name was never even mentioned until after you are already through 100 pages of the book.



Dont stop! I know the 1st one seems like a Clint Eastwood western, but Everything changes in the 2nd!
You wont be able to put it down!
Have fun! :jump1:

I'm almost done with book 6 of the Dark Tower, then I can read the final book in the series, I can't wait to see how it ends, this book has been great so far.



#7 is great!
I hope you like it! :laugh:

#7 is great!
I hope you like it! :laugh:


Thanks! I'm almost done 6, I have about 50 pages left, I'll probably finish tonight :) I'll be sad though when I finish the series :'(

Stared Count of Monte Cristo (sorry about spelling) today and so far I'm digging it. After that...The Da Vinci Code, Great Expectations, The Sun Also Rises, ROA...and maybe a couple of other things to prepare me for college.

Any suggestions on what might read in an English Literature class?

Stared Count of Monte Cristo (sorry about spelling) today and so far I'm digging it. After that...The Da Vinci Code, Great Expectations, The Sun Also Rises, ROA...and maybe a couple of other things to prepare me for college.

Any suggestions on what might read in an English Literature class?


Yea, a text book :lol2: Atleast that's what we read. It was basically a book with articles, papers, etc. on certain topics and we would read them and discuss.

But I'd suggest reading some of these incase you already haven't in High School:

Brave New World
1984
Julius Ceasar
MacBeth
Lord of the Flies
To Kill A Mockingbird
Catcher in the Rye
Diary of Anne Frank

Typical High School reading, but these books and content are often touched upon in College classes because they are classics. So even if you have read them in the past you might want to re-read a few.

The Count of Monte Cristo though is an excellent book.

Harry Potter Series! I Love those books :)

Thanks BurningStar. I greatly appreciate the input. Catcher in the Rye is another on my must read book list this summer!

I love It by Stephen King and every time I read the book I am as scared as the first time

Other classics to read:

King Lear
All Quiet on the Western Front
Catch-22
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Prince of Tides

The movie The Prince Of Tides killed my interest in the book

I never saw the movie (probably a good thing).

Lords of Discipline is another Pat Conroy novel worth reading. I think that one was made into a good movie. It's about cadets at The Citadel, a military academy in Charleston, SC.

Harry Potter Series - JK Rowling
The Cage - Ruth Minsky Sender (amazing novel!)
the Breadwinner series - Deborah Ellis

Favorite Authors : JK Rowling, Sharon Creech, Welwyn Wilton Katz

Anything by the following Authors:

Dean Koontz (just finished Velocity!!! It was SOOOOOO good!)
Robin Cook (Markers is GREAT, so far!!)
Frank Paretti (finished Monster before Velocity!!! It was GREAT! Well worth waiting for!!!)
Sue Grafton (Read "R is for..." Just waitin' on "S is for..."!!! :laugh:)
Michael Crichton (State of Fear was excellent!)

Next, I'm going to start on the Chronicles of Narnia. Only read Lion, Witch and Wardrobe in school. The movie is going to be out December 2005 I hear! I hope Sean Bean does the voice of Aslan!!!

GL 8)

I love the Chronicles of Narnia! Well, I've only read three (The Magician's Nephew, The Lion, The Wtich and the Wardrobe and The Silver Chair) but I plan on reading the others soon.

This thread is right up my alley! :laugh: I'm an avid reader.
Okay here's the ones I read the most:
Nora Roberts
Stephen King
Dean Koontz
The harry Potter series
A Wrinkle in Time
Cherie Bennet
:biggrin: :clover:

Sassy, have you read "The Dark Tower" by Stephen King?


(I know that I talk about this book all the time, but I love it!)

Oh, yeah! ;D I love The Dark Tower Series!*
I'm Very selective ove which Stephen King books I read because most of them are too scary.
But my three favorites are The Dark Tower Series, The Stand, and The Eyes of the Dragon

:jump1: :clover:

stephen ambrose / band of brothers
harper lee / to kill a mockingbird
mark z. danielewski / house of leaves

Tale of two Cities
The phantom tollbooth
I like the Harry Potter books

Stephen King
Dean Koontz
Jane Austen
Ridley Pearson
O'Henry
Edgar Allen Poe

i also like this strange book called....

The View From Saturday! great book. read it a fe yearsago. don't remember the quthor

(Slapping myself!)

How could I have left out H. P. Lovecraft?!!! :w00t:

Hardy Boys!!

Stephen King
Robert R. McCammon
Harlan Ellison
Peter Straub
Bentley Little
Michael Connelly
and more I can't remember right now...

Oh, yeah! ;D I love The Dark Tower Series!*
I'm Very selective ove which Stephen King books I read because most of them are too scary.
But my three favorites are The Dark Tower Series, The Stand, and The Eyes of the Dragon

:jump1: :clover:


Yea, the Dark Tower is definitely his best! Then probably The Stand :)

I must be strange. :-\ I always thought the Stand was his best followed by the Dark Tower series.
Oh well. :smiling: :clover:

^I think it's in the eye of the beholder...I personally preferred The Stand over the Dark Tower Series.

I just picked up Peretti's "Monster" thanks in part to the recommendation above. I think I've read most of his other books, except for his series of young adult books.

i lke te bourne identity, and supremacy, and the other sequels top those books!!! i think it was only a tilogy but wtvr

Just read a heartwarming and funny book about growing up Iranian in America. Funny in Farsi by Firoozeh Dumas.
It's a quick read, and a very touching account of her family, esp. her father.

Just finished reading J. D. Robb's 'Survivor in Death' - really good! All the ones in that series are good.- Especially like the hot scenes with Dallas and Rourke! Ended a little quick and I realized the set up for facing the bad guys way too soon so it wasn't a surprise for me! The surprise was that Dallas didn't see it coming!

Going to start Dan Brown's Digital Fortress next.

My book club is reading The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.* I just finished it and it immediately went to my top ten list.* A heartwrenching novel of betrayal and redemption, set in Afghanistan.

I also loved Shadow Divers (non-fiction), Peace Like a River, and The Lovely Bones.

I loved The Kite Runner- I really enjoyed The Lovely Bones as well. I think Alice Sebold is actually working on a second novel.

I'll be looking for a new book soon. Someone in the Tiberius thread recommended The Rule of Four. And someone else Umberto Eco's Baudolino.

Umberto Eco is great by the way. The Name of the Rose, which was a mediocre movie with Sean Connery and Christian Slater, was great. And Foucault's Pendulum is a classic.

For all you prep school grads check out Prep: a novel by Curtis Sittenfeld. It's quite good, and I think she hits the proverbial nail on the head. ;)

What can I say I was in a reading mood and Digital Fortress by Dan Brown really held my interest (prev post on 7/3 I was just going to start it! ;D) Not as earth shaking as his others but still had some twists to it. Computor talk 'lost' me but understanding details wasn't necessary I got the general idea. ::) If you decide to try it don't expect DaVinci Code but it still was enjoyable!

I love The Stand and Skipping Christmas (by John Grisham. Made into the film - Christmas with the Kranks). I also love the children's author Robert Munsch. I read his collection of books every year to my students. They are really funny. And I enjoy SYlvia Browne books.

I enjoy books about movies and TV, Marilyn Monroe, conspiracies, urban legends.

I liked Angels and Demons a lot, but never got the DaVinci Code. I've looked at Digital Fortress, but the plot just doesn't intrigue me.

I was just reminded of a book I love. It's sci-fi called _Limbo System_. The author was Rick Cook, I believe. I'm sure it's out of print now, but it's worth a read. It's kind of hard to describe, but it's basically a story about a first contact with "aliens."

And then I don't know if I already mentioned this one in the thread, but Chae the Morning, by Michael Scott Rohan is also very good. It's about a guy who walks down to the modern London docks and suddenly sees tallships in the harbor. It's kind of a parallel universe, but that coexists with ours. A supernatural swashbuckling adventure, I guess it could be described as.

I don't know if anyone has even heard of it, but my favorite book at the moment is, "A Great and Terrible Beauty," by Libba Bray. It is presented very well, and is extremely well written. I would recommend it for people who like mature teen fiction, with a hint of science fiction. Also, it is set in the Victorian Era.

Tolkien. He's awesome. Gary Pulesen is really cool, too. (Don't think I spelled his last name right) and Scot O'Dell is an awesome writer, as well.

Recently finished two more books so here's my review/thoughts:

Eleven On Top by Janet Evanovich - her Stephanie Plum series is just too funny! They are light mysteries with lots of humorous situations and dialog. Some steamy scenes between Stephanie & Joe and Stephanie & Ranger. The plots keep getting better and the some of characters are just so out there - like Lula! There was talk of making a Stephanie Plum movie you could on her site and vote for which actor you thought should play each character! (The only one I can remember is the Rock for Ranger - not sure if I agree but don't have anyone else to suggest)

Okay fans of the series - Who do you want to see Stephanie end up with Joe or Ranger?
As for me - hey I'm a DIMPLE - bring on the bad boy - Ranger all the way!


4th of July by James Patterson. This is the fourth in this series - really great mysteries and there's always a twist at the end. Have to admit I NEVER saw resolution to the murders or who the murderer(s) were! One thing I will say about Patterson books (with the exception of The Jester) I read them in one sitting! Doesn't matter how long they are the action moves so fast that I just keep reading. ( also really like the fact that the chapters are really short - seems to me that it makes for faster reading)

I really love each individual Harry Potter book

Favorite of all time... The Stand
I have read almost all of Stephen Kings books, and my second favorite was The Green Mile.
I also enjoy Anne Rice and my favorite of the Vampire Chronicles is Tale of the Body Thief...the naughty Rice books are good too;)

My favourites are anything by Charles Dickens and Charlotte Bronte.

"Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens is my alltime favourite. Has been since I was in Fourth Grade. I love that book.:)


Kitten.

J.K. Rowling
J.R.R. Tolkien

1. A prayer for Owen Meany/Cider House Rules (John Irving) ...love his books
2. Last of the Mohicans (J.F. Cooper) i read the book in its 16th century translation
3. Lord of The Rings (J.R.R Tolkien) Excellent Book, Magnificent movies
4. Snorre's Saga (Snorre Sturlason) The Icelandic bard, philosopher and linguist, Viking era
5. Watch for Me on the mountain (Forrest Carter) About the Apache's and Geronimo.
6. The Name of the Rose (Umberto Eco) A good Sherlock Holmes novel 1300 A.D
7. Red Storm, Clear and Present danger, Sum of all fears (Tom Clancy)
8. The Bourne Identity/The Bourne Supremacy (Robert Ludlum) Good books, good films

I guess i need to get hold of "The DaVinci Code" by Dan Brown soon...
I've heard so much good about it.

DaVinci Code was great. If you like Ludlum, John_Locke, I just finished The Bourne Legacy by Eric Van Lustbader. He does a good job, I think, of writing in a Ludlumlike way to carry on the saga.

I love the Bourne books!

i am reading The Chosen right now by Chaim Potok for school and i am actually finding myself to like it. it is alot better than i thought.

The Name of the Rose (Umberto Eco) A good Sherlock Holmes novel 1300 A.D



I loved the movie version of "The name of the rose." Have you seen it?
I love movies that take you away to a whole 'nother world!:biggrin:

If you like Name of the Rose you'll like Umberto's Foucault's Pendulum
I'm a horror fan so I"m reading Clegg and Koontz 2nd Frankenstien book City of Night

I'm about 3 or 4 books behind on my Dean Koontz reading!
I just cant seem to make myself get into a book right now!:yawn: